Street-car brake.



No. s`zs,|93. Patented July rs, lass;

w. r. umm.v

STREET CAR BRAKE.

(lo Mdsl.)

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i; l line l l Vof Fig. 2. i View of the car.

^ UNITED STATES f WILLIAM FRANKLIN KNELL, or BATTIIE CREEK, MICHIGAN;

PATENT rrici.

STREET-CAR BRAKE.

- srnclr'rcnrron forming part of, Letters Patent No. 629,193, cated July' 18, 1899.

Application nei July 2, 139s. serai No. 685,046. In@ man.)

more particularly on street-cars; and the ob l ject thereof is to provide a simple arrange- Io ment of parts whereby the brakes can be easily and quickly applied.`

My inventionconsists of certain details of construction that will be hereinafter more.

fully described, and specifically pointed out i in the claims.

In order that my invention maybe fully un: derstood, I Will proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in Which-i- Figure 1 is a vertical section taken on the Fig. v2 is a bottom plan Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the`pu mp and means connected f therewith for operating it.. Fig. 5 is--a sec-v tional detail View of the governor. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the brake-cylinder. Fig. 7 is a similar view ofthe valves for setting and releasing the brakes. Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view of part of the pump-cylinder and its eduction pipe and valve. Fig. 9 is a similar view of the pivotal support of the rectangular lever.

'Like lettersof. reference indicate the same parts in all the figures'.

dicates the pump-cylinder, in which Worksa piston A', provided with an inward-opening E- valve A". The rod of the piston is connected by a pitman B withfaneccentri'c C' on one of 1. the car-axles. As will be seen bythis arrangement, air is being constantly pumped from the pump A While the car is in motion, and "i2-it passes through the pipe D, which isgsups4 5 ',plied with a suitable check-valveD at a point where it leaves the pump, into the air-drum or compressed-air reservoir E, located under one of the seats in the car, as shown in Fig. 4;.

gothe ordinary construction, and F' a spring surrounding the piston-stem in the cylinder for returning the piston to one end of the cyl- Referring. to vthe drawings by letters, A iuf. F represents a brakecylinder which is ofl I inder when it is desired to release the brakes.

The stem of the piston is connected at its Qu'ter'end withan arm G, projectingl laterally 55 from the vertical stem H3 of a rectangular lever H, said stem H3 being swiveled in a bracket IP, depending from the frame or floor of the car. (See Fig. 9;) Connected with the rectangular lever H, on opposite sides of its 6o pivotal stem, are rods G and H', to the outer ends of which are con uected the brake-beams G" H". By this arrangement when the piston in the brake-cylinder is operated from either end ofthe car, as hereinafter' described, both 65 of the brakes will be applied. G5 are the supporting-brackets in which the brake shafts G are secured. These brackets are provided With slots at their respective lower ends in order thatthe brake- 7o shaft may have slight forward and rearward movement When it is desired to apply or re! lease the brake-shoes from contact with the Wheels.

I represents a pipe leading from the cmpressedair reservoir E to one of the platforms I up in front Vof the dashboard, and at abend at the top of the pipe I provide suitable valves for setting and releasing the brake hereinafter described. The pipe continues to one end 8o of the brake-cylinder, as clearly shown in Fig.

-, and when the valve is in proper position air will pass through this pipel from the reservoir to the brake-'cylinder to force the piston through to the other end, so that the brakes will be applied. A pipe .I also leads from the reservoir E to the other platform J', and it is also provided with brake setting andreleasing valves at the bend thereof, and it also continues to the brake-cylinder at the same end 9o i as the pipe I, and it is for the purpose of supplying compressed air to the brake-cylinder from theend .I of the platform. Pipe I is formed at the bend Kthereof with depending valve-casings K', and movable transversely 95 through said bend K and in one of said casiugs is abrake-setting valve L, provided on its outer end with a knob M andY formed in the stem` thereof .with a plurality of transversely-extending passages M" of different roo sizes, as illustrated by dotted lines in Fig. 7, any one of which may be brought in line with the bore of the pipe by depressing said valve,

but which are normally held out of line there with and the passage through said pipe closed through the medium of a coiled spring N in said valve-casing which holds the Valve raised. These passages are made of different sizes, so that the passage of air to the brake-cylinder may be regulated. A releasing-valve is movable transversely through said pipe and the other casing K and is also provided with a knob O and a transversely-extending passage P, normally registering with the bore or passage of said pipe. This valve is formed with a passage Q, which -when the valve is depressed is adapted to communicate with the pipe and with the atmosphere, so that the air from the brake-cylinder maypass backwardly through said pipe and exhaust through said valve. This exhaust passage is held nor- -mally out of communication with the pipe by a coiled spring R in said valve-casing.

The governor for regulating the pressure of the air within the reservoir consists of a casing S, which is placed in communication with pipe I at a point between the reservoir and the setting-valve and within convenient reach of the motorman. This casing S is threaded at its upper end, as at T, and provided with the outlet-ports T. Upon the threaded end of said casing is an adjustable cap U, and positioned within said casing is a valve V, which is held to its seat by a coiled spring V', one end of which engages the same, and the opposite end thereof bears against theinner side of said cap. It will thus be understood that the tension of said spring is regulated by adjusting the cap so that its pressure upon the valve may be varied. When the pressure of the air within the reservoir exceeds the pressure or tension of said spring, the valve will be lifted from its seat and the air permitted to lescape through the outlet-ports T. It will loe understood, of course, that the releasing and setting valves are reproduced at the opposite platform of the car in connection with the pipe J.

The operation of my brake is as follows: As the car moves along the track air is forced by the pump into the reservoir E. Vhen the brakes are to be set, the setting-valve is depressed until the desired passage therein registers With the passage in the pipe, which permits the air to pass from the reservoir through said pipe into the brake-cylinder, thus forcing the piston to the opposite end thereof and applying the brakes. When lit is desired to release the brakes, the releasing-valve is depressed, so that the air from the brake-cylinder may pass therethrough and exhaust. The coil-spring F moves the piston to the other end of the cylinder, and thus releases the brake.

-From the above description it will be seen that I have devised a very simple arrangement of air-brakes for use on street-railway cars by which the brakes can be easily ap7 plied and released.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

l. The combination with a compressed-air reservoir, of a brake-cylinder, a pipe connecting said reservoir and brake-cylinder, a brake-setting valve in said pipe having a pas'- sage adapted to register with the passage of the pipe but normally held out of line therewith, and a releasing-valve in said pipe hav ing a passage normally registering with the passage in said pipe, and a passage adapted to be moved to Aregister with the passage in said pipe and communicate with the exterior thereof, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination witha source of air under pressure, Vof a brake-cylinder, a pipe connecting said source and the brake-cylinder, and a releasing-valve in said pipe having a passage normally registering with the passage in the pipe and a passage adapted to be moved to register with said pipe and communicate therefrom with thevouter air, and a spring-pressed brake-setting valve arranged transversely in the pipe, and provided in its stem with a plurality of passages of different sizes whereby the passages of air to the brakecylinder can be regulated, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the pipe mounted within reach of the motorman, forming part of the line of pipe from the reservoir to the brake-cylinder and provided with a valveseat having opposite openings, of a casing vertically depending from the pipe below the valve-seat therein, a valve-plug seated in said valve seat and casing and provided with a i plurality of passages adapted to register with the openings in the valve-seat, and a spring in the depending casing supporting the valveplug normally in position with its passages above and out of register with the valve-seat openings, substantially as described.

WILLIAM FRANKLIN KNELL. Vitnesses:

JOEL C. HOPKINS, R. T. LovELL. 

